Frédéric Malle Book Launch at Barneys New York

The Chelsea Passage on the ninth floor of Barneys New York on Madison Avenue, usually swathed in the season’s opulent holiday display, has been transformed into a sleek homage to Frédéric Malle (cousin of yours truly) and his forthcoming book publication. A white lacquer table displayed copies of the large coffee-table book, Frédéric Malle: On Perfume Making, illustrated by Konstantin Kakanias, with a foreword by Catherine Deneuve.

“Konstantin is a very old friend and one of my favorite people,” explained Malle of the collaboration’s origin. “I asked him to illustrate each of the fragrances for the tenth anniversary, but by the time we had gotten it together, it was the eleventh anniversary. At the same time, I had started writing a little text about each of the fragrances for myself and thought the images and the text worked really well together. I thought we’d just tell people how we work because, after all, we are doing a very interesting job and nobody knows about it.”

Framed by a wall painted in the signature vermilion of Malle’s product design, Malle and Kakanias sat signing copies of the book for guests including Carolina Herrera, Chiara Clemente, Muriel Brandolini, Carolina Irving, and Lauren Remington Platt. Cohosts Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson laughed with each other while waiting to have their copies autographed by the author and illustrator. Asked to name her preferred Malle scent, Thurman replied regretfully, “I like many of them but whenever people ask me to list things, I go blank. I like the whole integrity of his shop, though—the independence he exhibits, and the fact that he features the perfumers themselves. I think that speaks to his artisanal way of life, and it brings things closer to who makes them.”

Platt, wearing a magenta Michael Kors column, arrived on the arm of Gherardo Guarducci, dapper in a tuxedo, en route to the launch of the 2012 Pirelli calendar by Mario Sorrenti at the Park Avenue Armory. “I thought I should be sexy for Pirelli,” she said, pointing to the dress’s thigh-high slit. “No Spanx tonight!”

The cocktail party was followed by an intimate dinner at Malle’s Fifth Avenue apartment, where Chiara Clemente peered out at the view over Central Park and said thankfully, “It’s so nice to be at a dinner in someone’s home for once.”